1. Field of the Inveniton
The present invention generally relates to wall-mounted support structures, including tables and trays. More particularly, this invention relates to a wall-mounted tray that is configured to require minimal room and wall space when stowed, yet provides ample surface area for supporting reading materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various wall-mounted tables, trays and other support structures have been proposed in the past. Most wall-mounted tables are designed to be stowed by folding the table either up or down to be generally parallel to their mounting walls, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,803,930 to Crocoli, 5,081,724 to Takahashi et al., 5,487,342 to Mack, 5,513,574 to Collins, 5,713,404 to Ladewig, and 5,775,655 to Schmeets. Prior art tables of the type exemplified by Crocoli and Collins have employed folding legs that support the extreme edge of the table from the floor. Other stowable tables of the prior art have employed brackets or cylinders to support the table from its mounting wall, as shown in Takahashi et al., Mack, Ladewig and Schmeets. To increase the distance that the table can project from its mounting wall, tables have been mounted to sliding rails as done in Crocoli. To maximize surface area, tables have been configured with folding leaves as done in Crocoli, Mack and Collins.
With each of these types of tables, in order to minimize the wall space occupied by the table when stowed, special accommodations must be provided in order to stow the legs or support brackets. As a result, wall-mounted stowable tables can be difficult to recess into the walls of many building structures, but will project an undesirable distance into a room if not recessed. These shortcomings are more acute if the table is desired to be mounted in a very small room, as would be the case of desired as a reading table in a bathroom, and particularly bathrooms of the size often found in hotels, motels, airplanes and buses. Another shortcoming of prior art wall-mounted tables is that the steps required to deploy and stow them can at times be relatively cumbersome or complicated. Legs that support the outer edge of the table from the floor (e.g., Crocoli and Collins) are often not practical, while support brackets mounted to the wall can significantly limit leg room beneath the table if they support the table from beneath (e.g., Mack, Ladewig and Schmeets), and significantly limit the support surface area readily available to the user if they support the table from above (e.g., Takahashi et al.).